Swinging gate



(No Model.)

0. Z. HUSEL. SWINGING GATE.

No. 450.233. Patented Apr. 14,1891.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES Z. HUSEL, OF ST. CLAIR, MICHIGAN.

SWINGING GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,233, dated April 14, 1891.

Application filed October 11, 1890. Serial No. 367,799.

(No model.)

fClair, in the county of St. Clair and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swinging Gates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved gate. Fig.2 is a similar view showing the swinging end of the gate raised. Fig. 3 is a plan view.

' Myinvention hasfor its objecttheimprovement of that class of farm-gates in which the free end of the gate'is designed to be elevated for the purpose of separating stock orto swing clear of snow or other obstructions byproviding devices, hereinafter fully described, which prevent all warping, aifordin g strength and permanency and permitting the construction of gates of this style in lengths necessary to admit the free passage of binders and other machinery or broad loads of any kind.

Heretofore such a gate has been formed with flexible joints and provided with a sin gle vertically-adjustable clamp and guiderods connecting it with the upper hinge of the gate. In practical use it has been found that after a short time the gate as thus constructed warps to such an extent as to draw the vertical bar at the latch end of the gate away from contact with the latch-post, and that in gates of long span the above construction is impossible, as the warp is immediate. My invention is designed to obviate these difficulties.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the gate'hinged in the ordinary manner to the postB to swing against or past a post 0.

The gate is constructed in the usual manner, except that the joints are made flexible by pivot-bolts cl or other suitable devices. This construction permits the swinging end of the gate to be moved freely up and down within certain limits without affecting its movement on the hinges.

E E are friction-blocks made of wood, metal,

or other suitable material, preferably corrugated on their inn er faces and bearing against the forward side of the vertical bar F in such a manner as to slide more or less freely up or down. The block E is connected with the upper portion of the vertical bar X by the rods or wires G, which pass over a saddle or through eyes, staples, or other suitable devices I upon the upper part of the vertical bar K, located at or near the center of the gate, and thence to the said vertical bar X. The block E is connected with the upper portion of the rear vertical bar of the gate by like guide-rods passing under a saddle or through eyes, staples, or other suitable devices upon the lower part of the vertical bar K, located at or near the middle of the gate. I do not limit myself to metal rods or wires G G, as these connections may be made of any other suitable material sufficiently flexible to allow the clamps to rise and fall when necessary. As shown in the drawings, these guides are made of one piece; but this construction may of course be varied without departing from the invention.

hen the gate isin its normal position, the friction-blocks rest lightly against the vertical bar F at or about its center. \Vhen the latch end of the gate is raised, which may be readily done by hand, the friction-block E slides down upon the bar F until arrested by the guides or stop-rods, which cause it to bind against the bar, and thus, together with the block E, hold the end of the gate in an elevated position, as shown in Fig. 2. The friction-block E operates in the same manner, except that when the end of the gate is to be raised this block is moved upward by hand until it is caused to bind.

The rods or connections G G, by virtue of their arrangement above detailed, form a perfect brace,preventin g all strain and warping,

thus affording permanency and permitting .and at the same time affords a strong lateral brace against such warping.

The friction block or clamp E, with its guides arranged as above indicated, gives stability by distributing the strain and affording a support to the center of the gate.

' The latch may be arranged in any convenient way as best suits the builder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a flexibly-jointed farm-gate having a central vertical bar, of a vertically-adjustable friction-block provided with flexible braces passing to suitable guides upon the lower part of the central vertical bar and thence to the upper portion of the hinge end of the gate, substantially as described.

2. In a flexibly-jointed faringate, the combination, With a vertically-adjustable frictionblock provided with guide-rods or connections passing over saddles or through eyes, staples,

or other suitable devices upon the upper part of a vertical bar located at or near the center -cated at or near the center of the gate and passing thence to the hinge end of the gate, all substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES Z. I-IUsEL.

Witnesses:

O. SHELDON, 'l. D. BARRON. 

